I'm Sorry
by LadyAngel1387
Summary: Angel is drawn to a mysterious clearing in the woods, and is haunted by a strange demon. When people start dying, Angel has to find a way to save them before time runs out. Warning: Character Death.


Angel walked, anybody who saw him would think he was on the prowl, but he had a destination, he had a purpose. He knew what his purpose was, he was supposed to meet someone. The thing was he didn't know who, or where, or even why, for that matter. It was a gut instinct, and yet, he was uneasy about it. He felt nervous and jumpy, which was exetremely weird for him. He didn't know where he was going, he just walked blindly through the woods. He was close, he could feel it. He walked forward and stopped. This was it. H e stood in the center of a perfect circle. Nothing grew in the circle, no grass or trees. This was where he was supposed to be. He stood and waited.  
  
  
  
Nothing happened until about three hours later. Angel still stood in the same spot, he hadn't moved an inch. There was a sudden movement and a snap of twigs. Angel was now on full alert, "Is somebody there? Umm, do you need help with something? Cause if you do, I'm fairly sure that I'm here to help you." Silence surrounded him again, "Hello!" he cried. A loud clap of thunder was all that answered him. All of a sudden it was pouring. Angel was soaked. This is stupid, he thought, if I was supposed to be here Cordy would have had a vision or something. Odds are, I'm missing important stuff back at the hotel. He began to run towards his car, which was about three miles away. Running full out, he got there fairly fast. He wasn't sure why he was running; it was either nerves or the rain or both. He finally reached the hotel. He headed to the door and was about to walk in. "Hey Angel where have you been?" Cordy asked. The entire gang, Cordy, Wesley, Gunn, and Fred, were laying around in the hotel's lounge. He was about to reply when there was a sudden when stunningly loud clap of thunder. The lightning that followed lit up the room, but Angel saw none of it. His vision was interrupted by the image of a demon he didn't know. The demon's blood shot eyes looked into Angel's, the demon made a terrible screeching sound and it's mouth was full of jagged teeth dripping with blood. Angel's body seized in blinding pain and he didn't even notice his own scream mingled with the demon's. Angel dropped to the floor. "Oh my God!" Fred said as Gunn and Wesley ran to pick Angel up. The carefully carried him to the couch. Angel moved slightly and slowly began to come around. Suddenly he sat up perfectly straight and winced as he did so. He moaned slightly before he noticed the anxious faces surrounding him. "What happened? Are you all right?" Wes asked him. "I'm fine," he replied as he stood up shakily and began to leave. His head was pounding and his entire body hurt. Gunn cut him off at the stairs, "Look man, you're obviously not fine, let's help you." Angel stood there, shaking his head slightly trying to clear his head. He looked up, "Okay," he said and then fainted into Gunn's hands. "Get him to his bed. We'll find out what happened to him tomorrow morning," Wes said. Fred looked up, "Did you see the look on his face? I've never seen someone that scared since I was in Pylea." Cordy looked to Wes, "What could have done this to him?" Wes shook his head, "I don't know."  
  
  
  
Angel slept through the majority of the next day. But when he woke up, he was fine. He walked into the office and picked up the paper. Glancing at a clock he realized the sun was all ready down. He settled into a chair and started to read. "Oh good, you're up," Cordy said as she entered the room, "I don't suppose you want to tell me what happened last night?" Angel looked up, "Nope, not really." Cordy scowled slightly and went to make a fresh pot of coffee. Angel went back to the paper, but jumped out of his chair when he saw it picture for the first article. "What is it?" Cordy asked. "That's where I was last night," he said, pointing to the picture. "What were you doing there?" "I don't know." "What do you mean you don't know?" "Well I was meeting someone, but I'm not sure who. I didn't even know where to meet them until I got there, but nobody came." With that Angel headed towards the door. "Where are you going?" "I have to go back there. Something was supposed to happen there and it did. Somebody was murdered there." "What will going back prove?" "I don't know, but I have to go." "Is there any point for me to try to stop you.?" Angel looked at Cordy, but then shook his head, "No." "All right, but for the record this is very stupid." "I know."  
  
  
  
Angel arrived in the clearing. He stood in the center of it again, tonight though there were no clouds. Light from the moon was cast upon him, but the rest of the clearing was in shadows. There was a sudden movement. "Who's there?" Angel waited for an answer, "I'm not leaving until I know." "I'm here." "Who are you?" Angel saw a figure lurking in the shadows on the outskirts of the clearing. "You know who I am." "I do." "We've met once before, in Sunnydale. I almost drove you insane, it was fun." "Who are you?" "The first." Then there was silence. Shortly before leaving Sunnydale Angel had had a run in with the first evil. The first had described itself as the thing the darkness feared, it was pure evil that could not be fought or killed. It was eternal. "What do you want?" Angel asked quietly. "You." There was a rustling of wind and Angel knew the first was gone. "Help me!" an unfamiliar voice called, "Oh dear God, somebody please help me!" The voice was full of pain and fear. "Where are you?" Angel called. "I'm here." "Any chance you could be a bit more specific?" "I'm where you are." "What do you mean, I don't see anybody." "No, you don't. I can't leave here. I'm stuck here." "Why, did somebody do this to you?" Angel asked. "Oh, yes. Somebody did this to me. You did it to me." "What do you mean I did it to you? I don't even know who you are." "Don't feel to bad, I'll be dead in the morning. The demon you saw last night will kill me. Of course, then somebody else will be stuck here." "Why?" "I really don't know, it's just the way things are. It's been happening for a while you know." "Actually I didn't know." "Oh, I guess you wouldn't know. I mean, at first it was just homeless people. Nobody missed them, but they miss that girl who died last night. She was smart and popular at her school and now she is dead, people want to know about her."  
  
"Can I stop it?" "Oh, Angel. I suppose you could, but I doubt you will." "I'll do anything. And how do you know my name?" "That's not important. But if you want to do anything, you'll have to do everything. Maybe it would be for the best if you did, after all the killings would stop, and you'd never see the demon again." "Then I'll do it, just tell me what to do!" "I'm sorry Angel, but I can't. Thanks for talking to me though. Somehow, I feel better, but I'm still going to die, and so are others. At least one more will have to die. Promise me that when you see the demon tonight you'll think of me. Thank you Angel, and goodbye." With that the voice was gone. Angel headed for home, there was nothing here for him now.  
  
  
  
Angel ran into the hotel. Once again everyone was in the lounge, but this time they were waiting for him. "Thank God your all right. I was so worried Angel" Cordy said. "I have to tell you something, and I have to do it fast so don't interrupt me. If you do, someone will die." He went on telling them everything he knew. When he finished Wes looked at him, "It sounds like whenever somebody dies you see the demon." "That can't be right," Fred said, "the demon said others have died." Gunn looked thoughtful, "Maybe it's only when you know something's up. Like last night, and maybe tonight." Silence followed. Angel hadn't seen the demon yet, and he didn't want to, but suddenly, there it was. He staggered forward and fell to his knees with his hands pressed to his head, "We're to late," he muttered. Then it was over. He stood up slowly and glanced towards the window, the first beams of sunshine were coming over the horizon. Cordy stood up to shut the blinds as Angel said, "I'm going to get some sleep," with that he walked somewhat painstakingly to the stairs and headed for his room. Noticing the looks of concern on his friends' faces he shrugged slightly and said, "I'm fine."  
  
That afternoon when he woke up he went for the paper. Sure enough, there was a story about a death in the clearing. It said police were looking for connections between the girl who died two nights ago and the man who died last night and that they suspect that the same person murdered them. Angel sat thinking until 10:00 that night, and new exactly what he had to do. He headed for the door, but Cordy cut him off, "Angel, I know that look. You're going to go and do something stupid. Look it took me the entire day to figure out what you figured out in about four hours, but you were doing some intense brooding and I was going about my normal day. I think I know what you're going to do, and I'm not going to let you." "Cordy, I hate to do it, but I have too. If I don't others will die. There's no other way." "Only because we haven't looked for it." "Cordy, I'm doing this, I have too, and." "And what?" "I'm sorry." "For what?" He looked at her, then ran out the door. He knew that she would follow him. So he drove fast, then ran fast. But all to soon he stood in the clearing. "Hello!" He called. "You actually think you can do it, you're weak, just like last time, you don't have the strength."  
  
"Things change. This time there are more lives at stake than my own." "An innocent victim was picked again." "They were all innocent, but they won't die anymore. I can stop it." "Then meet the victim you think that you can save." There was a sudden wind again. The first was gone, but the victim had just arrived. "Angel?" "Cordy, where are you?" "Angel, I'm where you are. Don't you see me?" "No. Cordy, I'm gonna get you out of there." "Angel , there's only one way, you can't. I won't let you." "It's what I have to do." Angel reached into his pocket, and pulled out a stake. He took a deep, unneeded breath, and plunged the stake into his heart. In the seconds between when Angel plunged the stake into his heart and when he burst into dust, he saw Cordy crying and mouthed I'm sorry. 


End file.
